From The Atlantic: The Mental Health Consequences of Unemployment

“Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.”~Ronald Reagan

Editor’s Note: In this article published in The Atlantic, research shows that people who have been out of work for at least six months are more likely to suffer from depression than those with jobs. Even sadder – often, people who find work after extended periods of unemployment lose their jobs within the first year, and the theory for their job loss is debilitating depression.

“Your whole life your job defines who you are,” Yundra Thomas told The New York Times two summers ago. “All of the sudden that’s gone, and you don’t know what to take pride in anymore.”

… A new poll from Gallup ...finds that “unemployed Americans are more than twice as likely as those with full-time jobs to say they currently have or are being treated for depression—12.4 percent vs. 5.6 percent, respectively.” Moreover, for those who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more (the “long-term unemployed,” currently numbering 3.4 million people), the depression rate is 18 percent, nearly one in five.”